Chapter 189: "A Dirty Hobby"
On the third day after his letter went out, Hong Feng received a reply from the Life Taking Hall.
"Ye Huang Yue, chronically ill and has been in seclusion inside the Ye manor since. Daughter, dead after birth. All of these materials are through a trusted servant called Granny Liu whose perennially by the woman's side."
As expected of the number one underground organization in the capital, their work is so efficient. Hong Feng exhales a breath of relief.
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Whether it be Ye Huang Yue, or that broken baby girl, they are both his scourge, his one black blemish in his glorious life.
If he could, Hong Feng would rather the baby never came to this world.
"Husband, you still thinking about that Ye Huang Yue and that little tramp?" In his momentary trance, a pair of soft hands had reached over to grab the documents out of Hong Feng's possession. Upon seeing the name, Zhu Ge Rou immediately revealed a glimmer of envy.
"What are you blinding guessing at my wife, I'm only doing this because I think the assassin from before is her. That's why I'm investigating." Towards this wife of his, it's undeniable that he holds a bit of unease.
"Her? Husband, you are simply underestimating the martial art of my Sky Armor Sect. Unless that woman manages to find a fifth rank Dan pill, she will forever be a cripple in this life. As for that little trampling, it's better she died early on otherwise that child will be our family's biggest shame." After watching the report from the Life Taking Hall, Zhu Ge Rou also felt more at ease.
Like her husband, she herself also thought that Ye Ling Yu looked familiar upon their first meeting. Now, it seems they are both thinking too much.
"My wife, you shouldn't keep such trivial things on your mind. I will handle everything. Oh yes, how's the preparations for the flower gazing party, is Yu Ying ready?" Hong Feng asks.
He has two daughters and a son under him. The youngest had very high aptitude so that one was already inside a powerful sect. As for his eldest daughter Hong Yu Ying, the girl's beauty was passable so he wished to endow her to the crown prince. Lastly was his only son Hong Yu Long. Since the boy's relationship with the crown prince was very good, the future was bright with nothing to worry about. Thinking of all these wonderful things, the unhappiness brought on by the mention of that broken girl also gradually dispersed.
"Husband don't need to worry, Yu Ying is very lovable. Besides, the flower gazing party is but a front. As long as the dowager nods her head, Yu Ying is set on becoming the crown princess as planned." Zhu Ge Rou smiles confidently and exchanged a meaningful glance with her husband.
While Hong Feng and his wife continues with their daydreaming, Ling Yue on the other hand was currently standing outside a humble looking abode.
"Mistress, this house is the one belonging to that lowborn woman who was trampled over by Hong Yu Long's horse." Yanche points to the rundown house in front, which looked like it would collapse at any moment. In his eyes, a sense of compassion escapes him.
Even for someone like Yanche who had suffered through so much, he also found this mud built housing to be unlivable.
"Yanche, didn't you say Hong Yu Long gave them a bunch of money after harming the woman, why are they still living in this place?" Ling Yue frowns as she asked the question.
The capital of Da Xia was the most prosperous city in the kingdom, but that also meant the poor here was faced more hardship than all the rest.
Then it was at this moment she heard a strange ruckus coming from inside. Unsure what to make of it, they urgently rushed inside the residence to find the source.
Through the leaky windows from the yard, they can see a little boy currently prostrating next to a dying woman.
The woman...
Knowing this can't be good, Ling Yue and Yanche rushed into the home by breaking open the door.
Startled by the loud sound, the frightened little boy curled himself into a corner while the woman on the bed uttered a muffled cry at their presence.
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"This?" Tense in her hands, Ling Yue gathered her will and opened the quilted blanket. Underneath, she was shocked to find all four limbs shattered and broken at the joints. And the mouth.... that muffled voice gave evidence of the tongue being cut off. The gore and bloodiness of the act left Ling Yue sick to the stomach.
"Mistress, the child's been poisoned in the throat so he can't speak anymore." Yanche sounded very hard after examining the child.
The woman's injury was very heavy, coupled with the delay in treatment, her life was now in peril. Even for someone like Ling Yue who had the miraculous spirit smoke, such heavy injuries were beyond her unless the immediate conditions stabilized.
Making her decision, the only hope Ling Yue can rely on now was the alchemist association. Not delaying, they carried the woman off to find Master Longyue in hopes of the old dwarf having a solution.
After some great efforts at the hands of everyone, the lives of both mother and son were saved.
"The man who did it sure is cruel. If you had found them any later, both mother and son would've likely been dead." Master Longue had been an alchemist for many years, but never in his career had he seen someone use such cruel means against a pair of defenseless civilians.
All four limbs broken and the tongue sliced off, even if saved, no clues could be salvaged from the woman. That leaves only the child if they are to figure out who orchestrated the crime.
Apparently the boy suffered quite the trauma from the ordeal. Through much coercing, Ling Yue and Yanche eventually managed to loosen up the kid so he would take the antidote pill.
Then once they cleaned the boy off, the first reaction Ling Yue had was being startled by that appearance.
The boy was very handsome for his young age, only around five years old, but that's not the main issue. It's the fact that the boy resembled the sixth prince quite heavily.
"A lot of bad people..." On and off, the young boy explains the whole story.
The boy's father died early on, leaving only his mother and him alone to care for each other. To survive, they had relied on some needlework's to make a living. Then about half a month ago the two of them left the suburbs to enter the city. That's when they accidentally encountered a carriage on the street. From inside, a very good looking big brother came out and offered him candy at the price of following the big brother.
"And where did that man take you?" The boy's age was simply too young so Ling Yue can only sooth the boy's emotion while leading him on for an answer.
"That big brother brought me to a very big house. There's a lot of tasty stuff and a lot of fun things there, and, there's a big brother in yellow clothes..." At the mention of this part, the little boy broke into panic like he just recalled something terrifying.
"Don't be scared, we are here so there's nothing to be worried about. Slowly, tell us what that man in yellow did to you." Yanche patiently coaxed the little boy with great results. Apparently for someone as big and dull as him, he had quite the ability to appease the smaller kids.
"He tied me up, and then he ripped my clothes off... He kept touching me everywhere..." Flustered on the face, the little boy started to cry out.
Shrinking his eyes in, Yanche didn't need any more information to know what happened.
Back in the central plains, some of the more handsome children would often be kidnapped by either the nobles or evil cults there. Like animals in a pen, they are then kept in captivity by their captors to be used in their pedophilic fetishes.
How unexpected, to think there would be someone capable of such an indecent act in open daylight.